Middle Ground Recycling

It has occurred to me that there is a gap in the recycling market.

If you have a thing you don't want, you can pass it on as a thing: through freecyclle or charity shops or whatever.
If it is no longer any use as a thing, it can usually be recycled back into raw material: for example you can take a broken cooker to the metal yard.

But (taking the example of the cooker), there is far more to it than just a lump of metal. It is a pile of metal plates, screws, switches and other bits and bobs.

Most people may well think "so what", but I'm sure there are lots of folk that variously need metal plates and screws and stuff to make things out of.

Obviously, the cooker is just an example, and a lot of things these days are made out of molded plastic with limited scope for reconstruction. Having said that I saw a chap on kids TV make an impressive sculpture out of hubcaps.

I don't know of anywhere that does anything remotely like that. Is that 'cos I'm ignorant or 'cos it's a daft idea?

cab

I used to help out at a daycare centre for handicapped adults, donkeys years ago. It had a workshop where something like that happened; they didn't so much take scrap electricals as bits of scrap material they could salvage screws, bolts etc. from to re-use in their own projects. There was one bloke who came in every day (a blind chap, I think) who used to sit and sort out screws into different sizes all day, partly to help but mostly to hang out with his mates there. I wonder whether anywhere does that now?

baldybloke

[quote]Obviously, the cooker is just an example, and a lot of things these days are made out of molded plastic with limited scope for reconstruction. Having said that I saw a chap on kids TV make an impressive sculpture out of hubcaps.

Quote:

Saw Seasick Steve on TV the other day with a guitar made of Morris Minor hubcabs.
I usually take redundant appliance apart and salvage bits of metal, screws and stuff before taking the rest to the recycling centre.

Went

Good idea but very labour intensive for limited reward.

We visited a great exhibition in France a couple of years ago where children had used dismantled household goods to remake 'creatures'. They also had to name them and describe their habits and habitat. The use of recycled materials this way i.e. into art and craft items was great and I bet the children had a great time doing it.

Hairyloon

Gawber wrote:

Good idea but very labour intensive for limited reward.

Yes and no.
Have you, for example seen the price of screws?

Went

......I know Sheffield well..

Hairyloon

Gawber wrote:

......I know Sheffield well..

Good. Any top tips?

bikebodger

Bicycles are the obvious one to start with - there are already dozens of bike recyclers in the UK, mostly non-profit/community projects etc.

Bikes have a relatively large number of similar/generic parts compared to other goods, though, in the recycling centre I ran we ended up with a list of 120 possible different Shimano rear Mechs (rear deraillieur gears) - and people think they're all the same

Some places in the UK run white goods repair centres as well, where cookers etc are repaired or stripped for parts

The big cost with all of this is labour - so its often done on community schemes/reparation/training etc etc which keeps labour costs to a minimum.

Gervase

cab wrote:

I wonder whether anywhere does that now?

A significant number of kids in Bengal.

T.G

bikebodger wrote:

Bicycles are the obvious one to start with - there are already dozens of bike recyclers in the UK, mostly non-profit/community projects etc.

i wish i knew of some i am sick of falling over bikes and bike frames and bits and bobs!

We got a garage full of bits of stuff and it does end up in other projects allthough the only thing I can think of at the minute is the bolt on my neighbours allotment shed which I found on an old door.
Most of our workbenches are made of recycled wood and so are several garden tables weve made.
Oh yes my bike was made from the best bits of 2 old ones.

Hairyloon

The.Grange wrote:

i wish i knew of some i am sick of falling over bikes and bike frames and bits and bobs!

If you'm not rid by the time I'm next passing, let me know and you can hoof them ont' back of the truck.
I'm supposed to be collecting bikes for one such project.

Sherbs

We are about to re-use a sink top my dad bought in 1971 which he has had stored in his garage for about 20 years. My dad's garage is an absolute shrine to this kind of re-usage of bits of metal, screws, odd bits of other items and such like but I don't know of anywhere that does it on a more public scale.

Bodrighy

When I was in India there were always little stalls with loads of bits and pieces that had been salvaged like this. Whilst I agree the whole idea is labour intensive, I see no reason why we can't do it for ourselves before scrapping the really useful parts. Self tapping screws, nuts and bolts, sheet metal, all expensive bits and pieces and salvageable form loads of otherwise useless objects.

The sculpture idea is also a good one if you are into that sort of thing and have the artistic ability.

and what parts do you know well? being a sheffield lass always curious

T.G

Hairyloon wrote:

The.Grange wrote:

i wish i knew of some i am sick of falling over bikes and bike frames and bits and bobs!

If you'm not rid by the time I'm next passing, let me know and you can hoof them ont' back of the truck.
I'm supposed to be collecting bikes for one such project.

ooo i shall bear that kind offer in mind

Hairyloon

This week I made some joist hangers out of part of the old oven which prompted me to start this thread.
I forget how much they'd have been to buy, but it was unnecessarily expensive for what they are, and they don't do the right size anyway.